I Read The Fault In Our Stars In A Strip Club

Late in the winter of my twenty-first year, I decided a strip club was the perfect place to read The Fault In Our Stars, a book that would be heartbreaking, but poor naive me had no idea. In reality, a comfortable bed surrounded by ice cream to help the inevitable pain with a cat to snuggle with, would be the perfect place to read such a book. I’d love that as much as everyone. That’s just not the truth. This is the truth. Poor, naive Amber.

Sorry.

Yes, you read the above correct. No, I am not joking. Yes, I’m aware of how that has to be the WEIRDEST place to ever read that book. Well, I guess I didn’t JUST read it in the strip club, but I definitely read the majority there actually I think I did!

Okay, so let me explain how this all happened exactly. A few years ago, it was 2012 because that’s the year TFIOS came out, I had a cousin that worked in said strip club. Every once in a while (except more so), she’d drag me out there with her and like the amazing cousin I am, I went. If only I could smack myself and say “No, don’t do it!”.

Before you all freak out, let me tell you, I stayed in the bar area the entire time.

You: “So Amber, you didn’t just read TFIOS in a strip club, but you read it at a bar area INSIDE a strip club”,

Me: Why yes, my dear, understanding, non judgmental reader, I did. I needed something to do guys, it was like, read or just sit there and I’d already did that too many times. Way. Too. Many. Times. *cue smacking*

You: “But wait! Because that book is such a heartbreaker, you were in the perfect place to drown your sorrows, right?!”

Me: Wrong, dear reader, I did not drink as I read. One, I didn’t know it was going to be sad, two, because it was expensive and three I was most likely lacking cash anyway.

So after the millionth time at the club, I decided I needed something to DO there, because you know, it’s a strip club! What in the world would I have done there? Oh, sit there, that’s right. 🙂 I guess there’s always the obvious answer, but that’s certainly not my thing. 😉

I’d gone to Barnes and Noble a week or two before this particular time. I can’t remember when exactly I had heard of The Fault In Our Stars, as I (unfortunately) didn’t join the bookish community. I just remember seeing this book, possibly vaguely hearing about it on a site called Mibba and the New York Times best seller sticker (and the fact it was autographed) attracted me to it! I didn’t have money for it then, but I would a few days later. So I did what any normal person would do, I hid the autographed copy behind the others and came back a couple days later and bought it.

As for the club….the lighting was dim, seriously dim. Back then, I didn’t have my precious  Kindle Paperwhite with a built-in light(<3), so I was forced to make words out with terrible lighting! It’s okay though guys, the nice bartender turned the light towards me so I could read it! Thanks nice bartender.

As I read TFIOS, I listened to Sara Bareilles amazing album, Little Voice while doing so. It was amazing. If I’ve ever talked to you about TFIOS, I may have mentioned how I totally was NOT feeling it. I didn’t care for Hazel or Gus or the way they were talking. Slowly though, they won me over. Completely.

Halfway through the book, the album, Little Voice, had long ended by then and I was stuck on the last song, “Gravity”. By this time, Hazel and Gus were going on a certain trip and it just seemed perfect to have the song on repeat during it all. I ended up never turning the repeat button off and just listened to “Gravity” for the remainder of the book. It is for this reason that I will forever associate The Fault In Our Stars with “Gravity” because the song is perfect and it fits and come on, you get it right?

Stars, universe, GRAVITY. You have to get it. Please get it. Also, go listen to “Gravity” and tell me that song doesn’t make you think of The Fault In Our Stars, it can’t just be me.

Anyway, then the ending happened and like Hazel, I couldn’t believe it was already the end! WHERE WAS THE OTHER PAGE? IT COULDN’T END LIKE THAT, COULD IT? I flipped back and forth over the last few pages, sure (or at least HOPING), that I had to be missing something. But no, I was not missing a thing. It had ended and “Gravity” was still in my ears and I wanted to throw the book and cry. I may have cried. Just a little! 

I believe I told my cousin “This book was so sad”. If I didn’t, I was definitely thinking it.

I know, it sounds insane. Hopefully. 🙂 That’s my story of reading The Fault In Our Stars, it was definitely memorable. I believe we have a choice in where we read our books. May it be a strip club, a park, a coffee shop or our rooms. I’m quite satisfied with my choice, readers. I hope you are too.

Our favorite books (or even our not so favorite books) all have stories behind them, right? We can generally remember where we read them at and the impact they had on us. Unless that’s just me and I’m weird. 😉  Surely that’s not the case though.

Would anyone be interested in a new feature that has guest posters share the stories behind the weirdest places they’ve ever read a book? And as a teaser, let me know the strangest place you read a book at, without the story though! If you’re interested in this, you can comment below, tweet me, or fill out the contact form! If a lot of people are interested, I’ll send out an email to those interested with information. 🙂

This post is the seventeenth edition of Amber’s Rambles.